Game skinning device

ABSTRACT

An animal skinning device including meshing sets of generally conical skin grasping teeth having rounded ends and mounted in teeth carrier members mounted at the ends of elongated jaw members. Jaw members are connected through a pivot to move from an open position into a forceful biting position. Handles are mounted at the ends of handle members with said handle members joined with said jaw members at the pivot. Teeth and handles are spaced a selected distance apart by a stop means mounted between handle members. Points of teeth are formed to define a prescribed radius and teeth are mounted in carrier members a prescribed distance apart. Handles are formed as closed loops.

This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 791,415, filed Oct. 25, 1985.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention generally relates to the skinning or flaying of animals and more particularly pertains to an easily handled device for skinning game animals such as deer, pigs, elk, beaver, anetlope and the like.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Most game heretofore has been skinned by hand with one hand pulling on the skin or pelt and the other hand cutting the skin loose as need be with a skinning knife. When conditions permit, of course, the skinning process is initiated with a skinning knife, then both hands are used to pull the skin loose from the animal until a skinning knife is again needed to part tissue in some instances. Common hand pliers have been used to pull skin loose from animals during the skinning process.

No particular tool, such as the invention disclosed herein, has been developed or has been available for skinning game.

Presently known patents relevant to this device are as follows:

U.S. Pat. No. 1,949,452 to Chadwick

U.S. Pat. No. 4,317,257 to Engel

U.S. Pat. No. 2,972,270 to Krolick

U.S. Pat. No. 3,169,034 to Epstein

U.S. Pat. No. 1,960,643 to Lorenzen

Norway (1935) No. 55,217

U.S. Pat. No. Des. 161,405

U.S. Pat. No. 3,163,885 to Dumas

U.S. Pat. No. 3,169,034 to Epstein

Another object of the invention is to provide a skinning device or tool which is inexpensive, readily portable, rugged, and simple to operate by persons normally accustomed to skinning animals by hand.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The above and other objects and advantages of the invention is attained by a hand operated animal skinning device having selectively meshing sets of skin grasping teeth having radially formed ends and mounted with teeth carrier members with the carrier members being respectively mounted at the ends of elongated jaw members. The jaw members are connected together through a pivot and adapted for pivotal movement from an open position into a forceful gripping position of the teeth into the skin of an animal wherein the ends of the teeth are selectively embedded into the skin without piercing or damaging the sking. A pair of handles are respectively mounted at the ends of elongated handle members with the handle members being respectively joined with the jaw members at the pivot. The handle members are adapted to drive the jaw members into gripping or biting position when forced together about the pivot by hand operation wheeby the skin can be gripped and pulled away from the animal. The teeth and the handles are spaced a selected distance apart by stops mounted between the handle members. The ends of the teeth are formed to define a prescribed radius. The teeth are mounted in the carrier members on prescribed spacing to intermesh. The handles are formed as closed loops respectively connected to the handle members. The device is made up of two unitary members connected in pivoted relationship with each unitary member including one each of the teeth carrier members, the jaw members, the handle members, the handles, and the stops. The unitary members are optionally formed of castings or forgings. The unitary members are optionally formed of cast iron, cast steel, malleable iron, aluminum, brass or bronze.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

FIG. 1 illustrates the use of the present invention by a human operator while removing the skin from an animal;

FIG. 2 is a side elevation of the tool such as shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the device looking down from above the device as shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a section taken along the line 4--4 in FIG. 2 and showing a teeth carrier member and the intermeshing spacing of the gripping or biting teeth of both carrier members;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of the end radius of one of the teeth shown in FIGS. 1 and 2; and

FIG. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary view showing how skin is gripped by the teeth.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring first to FIG. 1, there is shown a human operator utilizing the skinning device of 10 of the present invention pulling on the skin S of an animal to remove the skin from an animal carcass C.

The size of the skinning device 10 may vary at the option of the operator. As an example, the overall length of device 10 may be about ten inches (10") with the dimension of teeth carrier plate 18 as shown in FIG. 3, being about one inch (1") in width and two inches (2") in length.

As shown in FIG. 2, the skinning device 10 is shown to comprise a first unitary member 12 and a second unitary member 14 connected in pivoted relationship by a pivot assembly 16.

The unitary member 12 includes a teeth carrier plate 18, an arcuate jaw member 20, a handle member 22 which supports a stop lug 24, and a handle loop 26 as shown.

The unitary member 14 includes a teeth carrier plate 28, an arcuate jaw member 30, a handle member 32 which supports a stop lug 34, and a handle loop 36. Both of the teeth carrier plates 18 and 28 support a plurality of typically conical teeth 38 and 38A as shown.

The unitary member 12 and the unitary member 14, as shown, are alike to the extent that the same mold or die can be used in their manufacture.

As thus shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the pivot assembly 16 is seen to comprise holes defined at the junctures of the arcuate jaw members 20 and 30 and the handle members 22 and 32 through which is installed a pivot pin 40.

The pivot pin 40 can have an O.D. of about one-fourth inch (1/4")in the size of skinning device 10 as mentioned above, and can be a rivet (not shown) or a shouldered and threaded bolt as shown, which is passed through the first unitary 12 and threaded through the unitary member 14 by threaded connection and locked into place with a threaded locknut 42.

The purpose of stop lugs 24 and 34 is to maintain a minimum distance between the handle loops 26 and 36, and also to maintain a minimum spacing between opposing sets of the teeth 38. Referring to FIG. 4, there is shown a plan view of the teeth carrier plate 28 in which are mounted a plurality of the teeth 38, for example, a selected array of 15 teeth, which mesh in with a complementary array of 15 teeth extending from carrier plate 18. The set of teeth 38 disposed in the teeth carrier plate 18, are disposed such that each each tooth 38A in plate 28 fits between teeth 38 disposed in the carrier plate 18, and vice versa as shown.

An enlarged segment of a typical tooth 38 is shown in FIG. 5. Each generally conical tooth 38 terminates in a rounded point 44, which is rounded to prevent any tendency to penetrate or tear the skin S while it is gripping or biting into the skin S. An effective surface area of each tooth 38 and the total of the opposing sets of teeth 38 is provided by a radius defined to round each point. Such a radius may be 1/16 of an inch, for example.

The teeth 38 may be cast or molded as an integral part of the respective teeth carrier plates 18 and 28, for example. The handle loops 26 and 36 are provided as shown to permit the device to be handed with both hands or with only one hand during the skinning procedure. The operator can grip both the handle loops 26 and 36 with one hand to effect both gripping and pulling during flaying of the animal while the other hand is engaged in cutting connective tissue as necessary with a skinning knife. When the teeth 38 are "biting" into the skin S, each tooth is forcing the skin in between opposing teeth as shown in FIG. 6. Thus, as evident in FIGS. 2, 4, and 6, force on the opposing teeth 38 and 38A causes the skin to be laterally squeezed between the conical surfaces of the opposing teeth with each tooth disposed in the inner rows squeezing the skin into clamping contact with four opposing teeth. The outer rows of teeth laterally clamp the skin between two opposing teeth at the corners of carrier plates 18 and 28 and between three opposing teeth along the sides of the carrier plates. Such clamping contact is made without piercing or damaging the skin.

The unitary members 12 and 14 may be formed optionally as castings, either mold or die castings, or as forgings. The unitary members 12 and 14 may be provided of several materials which can be suitable such as aluminum alloy, brass, bronze, cast iron, malleable iron, or cast steel. The preferred materials, from the viewpoint of costs, castability and serviceability, is cast iron or malleable iron with the teeth 38 cast as an integral part of the teeth carrier plates 18 and 28. In such case, a small forming tool (not shown), may be used, if necessary, to dress or shape each point 44 of each tooth 38 with a prescribed radius as shown in FIG. 5.

It is to be noted that the embodiment of the invention as illustrated and described herein, may be modified in various ways, all without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined in the appended claims. 

What is claimed is :
 1. A hand operated animal skinning device comprising:(a) a plurality of generally conical skin grasping teeth mounted with opposing teeth carrier members with said carrier members being respectively mounted at the ends of elongated jaw members; (b) said teeth having rounded ends and being mounted in plural rows and spaced apart to permit teeth extending from one of said carrier members to intermesh and fit in between the teeth of the other of said carrier members; (c) said jaw members being connected together through pivot means and adapted for pivotal movement from an open position into a forceful biting gripping position of said teeth against the skin of an animal wherein the conical surfaces of the opposing teeth laterally squeeze the skin into clamping contact between said conical surfaces without piercing or damaging said skin; (d) a pair of handles respectively mounted at the ends of elongated handle respectively with said handle members being respectively joined with said jaw members at said pivot means; and (e) said handle members being adapted to drive said jaw members into biting position when forced together about said pivot means by hand operation whereby said skin can be gripped and pulled away from said animal.
 2. The device of claim 1 wherein said teeth and said handles are spaced a selected distance apart by stop means mounted between said handle members.
 3. The device of claim 1 wherein said ends of said teeth are formed rounded to define a prescribed radius.
 4. The device of claim 1 wherein 1 wherein said teeth are spaced on said carrier members a prescribed distance apart.
 5. The device of claim 1 wherein said handles are formed as closed loops respectively connected to said handle members.
 6. The device of claim 1 wherein said device comprises two unitary members connected in pivoted relationship with each said unitary member including one each of: said teeth carrier members, said jaw members, said handle members, said handles, and said stop members.
 7. The device of claim 6 wherein said unitary members are formed the same. 